Acupuncture is one or of the oldest methods of treating disease having been used by the Chinese for over 4000 years. Without going into the philosophy behind it, the traditional Chinese method (TCM) is based on stimulating specific points on the body known as acupuncture points by penetrating the skin with thin sharp needles and manipulating the needles. The acupuncture points are located on paths called meridians through which energy flows throughout the body. Also a long standing aspect of TCM is a therapy called moxibustion, which involves burning a herb at an acupuncture point or in association with a needle.
Over the millennia that have passed since the origins of the practice of acupuncture new systems have evolved that use acupuncture points and meridians not recognized in the traditional Chinese method (TCM). Additionally new methods of applying the therapy that are non-invasive and do not require the use of needles have been devised. These methods include, for example, electric acupuncture, acupressure, and laser acupuncture.
Lasers are used in acupuncture in two ways: firstly, low-intensity non-thermal laser irradiation is used to stimulate traditional acupuncture points instead of needles; and secondly, longer wavelength infrared radiation is used to simulate the traditional acupuncture technique of moxibustion. Many different apparatuses have been described in the patent and non-patent literature for use in laser acupuncture. Some examples are:
U.S. Pat. No. 6,306,160 describes a hand held device that comprises an electrode used to locate acupuncture points by measuring skin resistance and a 3 mw diode laser that emits light with a wavelength of 635-670 nm to stimulate the acupoint.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,179,278 describes an apparatus in which one or more remote laser sources that emit light at 350-980 nm are optically linked by fiber optics to a handpiece that is in contact with the skin of the patient. The handpiece comprises two electrodes to measure skin resistance. The penetration depth is adjusted by changing the wavelength and also by reducing the diameter of the optical fiber as it approaches the tip of the handpiece.
US 2007/0129713 describes a laser needle for performing combined laser therapy and electric therapy. The output beam from a remote diode laser is conducted to the patient by an optical fiber. At its distal end the optical fiber is surrounded by a metal jacket having a disk attached to its lower end. The disk serves to distribute the electric current of the electric acupuncture over a larger area and also to aid in attaching the laser needle to the body of the patient.
CN102716553 is an example of a publication that describes an apparatus comprising two lasers that provides the combined effects of needle and moxibustion. The first laser is a red laser (635 nm) to simulate the effect of the needles and the second laser produces an output wavelength in the range of 1250-10000 nm to simulate the effect of thermal moxibustion.
CN101982161A and CN102309405A describe shirts on the outer surface of which have been marked acupuncture channels and points. CN202526546U describes articles of clothing adapted for acupuncture or moxibustion therapy by providing holes through the material at the location of acupoints. CN2254347Y and CN202664254U describe acupuncture massage clothes that respectively have plastic needles and silica gel or soft plastic massage mats on the inside of the clothing located at acupoints.
It is a purpose of the present invention to provide equipment that assists trained persons to carry out acupuncture, bio-stimulation, and other therapies and healing procedures in a clinical environment and allows untrained persons to carry out the procedure on himself, herself, or on another person in their homes.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide personalized items of clothing to be used to assist in carrying out acupuncture, bio-stimulation, and other therapies and healing procedures by means of holes that are made in the item of clothing according to the anatomy of the specific patient at the location at which the treatment should be applied that is relevant to her/his condition.
It is another purpose of the present invention to provide an apparatus that functions as a stand to support a device at the correction locations and orientation for stimulating and/or healing the location at which the treatment should be applied that is relevant for treatment of a specific condition.
Further purposes and advantages of this invention will appear as the description proceeds.